News On Japan

Training Held in Taiji to Counter Anti-Whaling Groups Ahead of Dolphin Hunt

Wakayama, Aug 22, 2025 (News On Japan) - In Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture, authorities conducted training to prepare for possible illegal actions by anti-whaling groups ahead of the start of dolphin hunting season.

The exercise brought together about 30 participants, including members of the Japan Coast Guard and local fishermen, to review procedures for responding to unlawful activities.

Since the release of the 2009 Oscar-winning documentary "The Cove," which secretly filmed dolphin hunting in Taiji, the town has seen repeated interference by anti-whaling activists, including surveillance of fishing operations and the cutting of holding nets.

This year, drills were again held before the season opens on September 1st. Throughout the period, police and the Coast Guard will maintain round-the-clock surveillance to prevent disruptions.

Source: YOMIURI

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's government approved its first annual basic economic and fiscal policy on Tuesday, pledging "responsible and proactive fiscal policy" and envisioning about 370 trillion yen in public- and private-sector investment in strategic industries through fiscal 2040.

A police officer fired a warning shot into the air after a 42-year-old woman approached officers while pointing a kitchen knife at them on a street in Eniwa, Hokkaido, on July 17.

A covert network of shuttle tankers is carrying crude through the increasingly dangerous Strait of Hormuz as renewed fighting between the United States and Iran disrupts shipping and raises concerns over how Japan will secure the oil it needs.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko has criticized moves by Japanese and Ukrainian companies to cooperate on drone technology, warning that such ties would be regarded by Moscow as a "clear hostile act."

The rainy season ended in the Kanto-Koshin and Tokai regions on July 20 as strengthening high pressure brought intense heat across Japan, with temperatures forecast to reach 38 C in Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, and Kofu.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Politics NEWS

Asset reports for all 465 members of Japan's House of Representatives elected in February 2026 have been released, showing average declared assets of 32.78 million yen, up 6.09 million yen from the previous disclosure.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko has criticized moves by Japanese and Ukrainian companies to cooperate on drone technology, warning that such ties would be regarded by Moscow as a "clear hostile act."

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi entered the week of July 20 with her government facing a shortened but politically important stretch before the extended Diet session ends, as debate continued over Bank of Japan independence, domestic investment policy, the revised Imperial House Law and the ruling coalition’s unfinished legislative agenda.

Japan's revised Imperial House Law was enacted after clearing the House of Councillors with majority support, allowing female members to retain royal status after marriage and male-line descendants of former imperial family branches to enter the Imperial Household through adoption.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi closed the Diet session on July 17 under pressure from both parliament and financial markets, as lawmakers enacted a revised Imperial House Law while the government moved to clarify that monetary policy tools remain under the sole authority of the Bank of Japan.

A bill to revise the Imperial House Law was approved by an Upper House special committee on July 16, paving the way for its expected enactment on July 17.

A protest against Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was held in Tokyo's Shibuya district on July 16 as public concern grew over a bill that would impose criminal penalties for damaging the Japanese flag.

Tokyo's Koto Ward will distribute portable emergency toilets to all residents to help households prepare for disasters and prevent health problems when regular sanitation systems become unusable.